Power-transmitting device



June 24, 1930.y L. M. SHl- HIUAN POWER TRANSMITTING DEVICE Filed oct. 1o, 1929 52 I9 I V7 INVENTOR wf- Shu-f BY- gygmi* ATTORNEY.

'LELE MITCHELL SHERIDAN, OF COPPERCLIFF, ONTARIO, CANADA rowna'rannsnrrrme Dnvicn I Application led October 10, 1929. Serial No. 398,650.

This invention relates to a power transmitting device as described in the present specification and illustrated in the accom- 1 panying drawings which form part of same. 'l e invention consists essentially of the novel features pointed outy broadly and s eciiically in the claims for novelty following a description containing an explanation in detail o an. acceptable form of the invention. e

The objects of the invention are to furnish a device that may be applied to motor vehicles, conveyors, rotary trucks, or any power transmission where a change in the speed ratio between the driving and driven members is desired; to devise means forcontrolling the rotation of shafts and that will he adaptable to many types of variable speed drive mechanism to overcome the mechanical problem of applying motion to a still shaft by the elimination of a friction clutch. The substitution .of a iiuid force adapted to decrease in vmagnitude as thev speed of the shaft increases until the ratio of speed to torgue in the driven shaft is the same as that o the driving shaft, and genbe cheap to manufacture and easily operable. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side sectional view of the device.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken on lines 2 2 in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on lines 3-3 in Figure 1.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

Referring to the drawings, the variable speed drive mechanism is formed of the frame and casin 10 supporting and journalling the set eig planetary gears 13 and 14 in which the two sets of gears are sup orted in the cage 15 and rotatable around t e sun gears 11 and l2 so that when the power is applied to rotate the gear 11 the speed of rotation of the gear 12 which is connected4 to the driven shaft 16 is proportionate to the direction and speed of rotation of the cage holding thegears 13 and 14. This articular arrangement of gears s more fulD a screw' 28. lWit ly described in my coending United States A application Serial o. 281,090, filed May 28,

In order to furnish eiiicient means for controlling the rotation of the-cage, a 5o such as an oil or an oil compouncl'isv in?v troduced into the cylinders or dash pots `17 and the eccentric 18 fixedl mounted on the driving shaft 30 engages t e pistons 19 and reciprocates them in said cylinders or dash pots 17. The pistons'are connected together and held against the eccentric by the straps 31 and 32.- f 'A n y j The transfer ofthe" operatingffluid from cylinder. to cylinder is 'controlled by the 65 valve ring 22 introduced the' :valve cham= ber 23. The rin 22is heldagainst the face of the erts 21 ya ball thrustA bearing 24 engage by the'1ever25. "TThe lever is eld against the thrust ring by a spring 26 which 70 can be adjusted b a handle 27 threaded on this arrangement when the valve ring 22 closes the portsl 21, the cage 15 will be forced to rotate at the same rate and in the same direction as the driving .175

' shaft 30. erally to provide a desirable and veilicient variable speed powertransmission that will.

When the ports are opened slightly so as ,to permit the slow flow of oil from one cyl.- Y

inder to an opposite cylinder, the cage 15 will slip'backwards or at a slower rate of so rotation than the driving shaft. If a perfectly free port is allowed, tiren vthe cage' 15 will rotate backwardly at ahi her rate of speed and the driven shaft 16 wil come to' a stop. Also, if the torque on the driven shaft is sutlicient to produce enough pressure of oil against the annular ring J22 to compress the spring 26, then -theispeedof the shaft. l16 will be automatically-reduced to such a point as to cause an increase in torque to 00 y plungers is that the planetary driving CJI The consequence-of this reciprocation of the gtll'S 13 travel on the sun gear 11 and as the gears 13 drive the planet gears 14, these gears 1t in co-action with the sun gear 12 travel around the sun gear at the same time communicating motion thereto, this motion being transmitted to the driven or transmission shaft 16.

The speed at which the planet gears 13 travel on the sun gear 1l is Controlled entirely by the ring valve Q2, the operation of which is in turn controlled by the adjusted spring Q6. Therefore the freedom of the flow of the fluid is regulated by the position of the ring valve Q2 in the valve chamber 23, and this position depends entirely on the load on the transmission shaft 1G. In starting a motor vehicle or other mechanism, the transmission shaft 1G is in the state of inertia. Consequently the pressure on the ring valve is proportionately great with the result that the spring operated lever permits the valve to slide to an open position sufficient to cause a transfer of a Huid to the opposite ends of the well 17. Therefore the co-action of the planet gears with the sun gears is limited in so fa` as the rotation of their own shafts is concerned because of the slip occurring in their travel on the sun gears, but this travel gradually lessens as the speed of the t `ansmission shaft increases until running speed has been reached. rIhen the ring valve which has been gradually closing completely blocks thc transfer passages. Then the cani disc. or wheel is locked causing the rotation of the gear frame and casing which then becomesl a balance wheel carrying with it the planetary gear mechanism of both shafts which serve as reducing gears between the driving shaft and the driven shaft. It will thus be seen that it is in the reducing gears that the slip is provided so that the load may even up with the power in so far as the reduction gear mecha- IiiSm will allow.

This is a very useful invention particularly for conveying or other apparatus having variable loads. IVhere applied to a vehicle, naturally some elaboration of the mechanism will be necessary.

It is obvious in the description of the details of the invention that the ring valve may be operated by hand, `thus manually controllin0r the speed, or in varying the load under which the speed of rotation would be changed automatically by the device itself.

`What I claim is:

1. In a power transmitting device. a main casing having shaft bearings. driving and driven shafts journalled in said bearings. a rotary casing forming dash pots and having transfer passages and a valve chamber. a ring valve operating in said valve chamber. a spring-held lever pivotally secured within said main casing and engaging .said ring valve, plungers reciprocating in said dash pots. a. disc eccentrically mounted on .said driving shaft and engaging said plungcrs. a planetary reducing gear mechanism operatively eonnecting said driving and driven shafts and a gcar frame supported hy said rotary casing and said driven shaft.

2. In a power transmitting device. a main casing having shaft bearings, driving and driven shafts journallcd in said hearings and in alignment with one another and suitably lspaced at their adjoining ends, a rotary casing forming dash pots and having transfer passages and a valve chamber, a ring valve operating in said valve chamber, a springheld lever pivotally secured within said main casing and engaging said ring valve, plungers reciprocating in said dash pots, a disc eccentrically mounted on said driving shaft and engaging said plungers, a planetary reducing gear mechanism operatively connecting .said driving and driven shafts and ay gear frame supported by said rotary casing and said driven shaft.

3. In a power transmitting device, a main casing having shaft bearings, driving and driven shafts journalled in .said bearings, a rotary Iasing forming dash pots and having transfer Vpassages and a valve, a ring valve operating in said valve chamber and held against the face of the transverse passage ports by a ball thrust bearing engaged by a springheld lever pivotally secured within said main casing. plungcrs reciprocating in said dash pots. a disc eccentrically mounted on said driving shaft and engaging said plungers.I a planetary reducing gear mechanism operatively connecting said driving and driven shafts and a. gear frame supported by said rotary casing and said driven shaft.

4. In a power transmitting device, a main casing having shaft bearings` driving and driven shafts journalled in said bearings and in alignment with one another and suitably spaced at their adjoining ends, a rotary casing forming dash pots and having transfer passages and a valve chamber, a ring valve operating in said valve chamber, a lever pivotally secured Within said main casing and engaging said ring valve and held thereagainst by a spring adjustably controlled through a screw member, plungers reciprocating in said dash pots. a'disc eccentrically mounted on said driving shaft and engaging said plungers, a planetary reducing gear mechanism operatively connecting said driving and driven shafts and a gear frame supported by said rotary casing and said driven shaft.

In a power transniitting device. a main casing having shaft bearings. driving and driven shafts journalled in said bearings, a rotary casing forming dash pots and having transfer passages and a valve chamber, a ring valve operating in said valve chamber, a springheld lever pivotally secured within said main casing and engaging said ring valve,` plungers reciprocatingin said dash pots, an eccentric disk ixedlymounted on said driving 'shaft engaging said plungers .and reciprocating them in said dash pots, a planetary reducing gear mechanism operatively connecting said driving and driven shafts and a gear fra-me supported by said rotary casing and said driven shaft.

Signed at the tovvnof Coppercliii,Y Ontario, Canada, this 31st day of August, 1929.

LESLIE MITCHELL SHERIDANU 

